By: Fred Persinger II
Princeton (2-0) at AAA No. 1 Martinsburg (2-0)
Princeton is off to an undefeated start with wins over Shady Spring (46-21) and Bluefield (32-21). The Tigers were led by senior running back Zach Standifur who rushed for 227 yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries.
Princeton fell to Martinsburg a season ago 35-21 as the Tigers actually out-gained the Bulldogs offensively by 135 yards. Standifur had 192 rushing yards for Princeton in that 2015 matchup.
This year’s Martinsburg team is off to an undefeated 2-0 start, including a 35-28 win over Sherando (Va.) last week where the Bulldogs overcame four turnovers in the win.
The road trip for Princeton covers 280 miles in four and a half hours. This game was selected as the Northside Automotive MetroNews Class AAA Game of the Week.
AA No. 9 James Monroe (1-0) at Independence (2-0)
A very interesting matchup takes place on Friday night in Coal City. James Monroe, which defeated AAA Greenbrier East 34-6 in Week 1, is coming off of an early season bye in Week 2.
The Mavericks dominated Greenbrier East two weeks ago defensively as Colton Bradley collected two interceptions in the win.
Independence, meanwhile, has outscored its opponents 111-7 through two games. In a 62-0 win over Pikeview, the Patriots scored in a variety of ways, including special teams. Markus Guy returned two punts for touchdowns in the win (one from 75 yards and another from 80 yards), while Robbie Cochran returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson (0-2) at Bluefield (0-2)
So close, but yet so far. That could wrap up the first two games for Woodrow Wilson against Riverside and Greenbrier East.
In last week’s 28-23 loss to the Spartans, Beckley received a solid effort from sophomore running back Micah Hancock, who finished with 172 yards on 14 carries. Between Hancock and sophomore Logan Cook, who rushed for 66 yards, the two young backs accounted for 238 of the 260 rushing yards for the Flying Eagles. Defensively, Woodrow Wilson gave up one big run, an 81 yard touchdown to Jaylon Battaile who finished with 185 yards in the win for Greenbrier East.
Bluefield, meanwhile, is surprisingly 0-2 with losses to Graham (VA) and Princeton. In that 32-21 loss to the Tigers, the Beavers only managed 30 yards rushing, while quarterback Cody Fuller completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards.
After giving up 641 yards to Graham in Week 1, the Beavers were outgained again in Week 2, 392-168 in total yards. But maybe the biggest story of the game for Bluefield was that running back Carlos Reed went down with a knee injury and is questionable for the game against Beckley.
This will be the 71st meeting between the two schools dating back to 1925. Beckley has a 42-26-2 advantage in the series, but this will be just the third meeting since 2004. Woodrow Wilson has not defeated Bluefield since a 53-14 win in 2000.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night from Mitchell Stadium. The game will air on the Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS, online at wjls.com and on the iheart radio app.
Liberty Raleigh (1-1) at Pikeview (0-2)
After an opening week loss to Westside, Liberty bounced back in Week 2 with an 18-16 win over Oak Hill. Jacob Bailey rushed for 241 yards on 26 carries in the win.
Oak Hill jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the first quarter as Ryan News took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score and Addison Hayes added a 33 yard field goal. But after that first quarter, Liberty scored 18 straight points as Bailey accounted for all three touchdowns (one rushing and two passing). Overall, Bailey accounted for 272 yards of Liberty’s 291 yards offensive yards.
Pikeview has had a rough start to the season, falling to Class A Summers County 47-6 in Week 1 and dropping a 62-0 decision to Independence 62-0 in Week 2. The Panthers accounted for minus-19 yards of total offense in the loss to Independence, giving up three special teams touchdowns along the way.
Other Games
Preston (1-1) at Greenbrier East (1-1)
Westside (2-0) at Man (1-1)
Nicholas County (2-0) at Wyoming East (0-2)
Shady Spring (0-2) at Summers County (1-0)
Midland Trail (1-1) at Meadow Bridge (0-2)
Oak Hill (0-1) at Mount View (1-1)
Montcalm (1-1) at Narrows, Va.
Fayetteville (2-0) at Richwood (0-2)
Valley Fayette (0-2) at Sherman (2-0)
Greenbrier West – Idle this week
River View – Idle this week